NEW LEARNING & RESOURCES BUILDING AT UWE ON SCHEDULE

The first phase of the Learning and Resources building at the University of the West of England in Frenchay has been completed.

The structure of the building is now in place and a topping out ceremony to mark the end of the first phase is being held on 10 November at 11 am.

The Learning and Resources building will house UWE's Faculty of Education, currently based in Redland in Bristol, and provide a state of the art learning resource for the other Faculties based on the Frenchay Campus of UWE.

Rob Bradley, Managing Director of the contractors Pearce Construction Ltd says they are pleased with the progress so far, "We are delighted to be involved in the continued expansion of the University of the West of England. We have a long association with the University on this campus, and as one of Bristol’s largest and oldest construction companies we are very proud to be involved with this prestigious project”.

The new building will house lecture theatres, offices and common areas such as a large refectory. It will also have several open spaces where works of art commissioned from local artists will be on permanent view.

John Fell, the Project Manager of Bristol Polytechnic Enterprises Ltd who are funding the project says this is one of the biggest projects undertaken at the Frenchay Campus, "This building is larger than the recently opened Bolland Library extension and it is also more prestigious. It is costing about 30 percent more per square metre than previous buildings and the quality of the finished building will be of a very high standard."

The Dean of the Faculty of Education at UWE, Joan Whitehead, says, "This building will provide an excellent environment in which to train the teachers of tomorrow. It will also be an ideal venue for our courses designed for experienced teachers, many of whom come from the local area, who want to extend their professional knowledge."

-ENDS-

Editors notes

The 'Topping out' Ceremony will take place at 11 am at Frenchay Campus on Friday 10 November. Karen Morgan OBE, Chairman of the University of the West of England will receive a commemorative collage from a representative of Pearce construction Limited to mark the occasion.